2005

Christmas 2005

Dear Friends,

Hugh and I may almost be empty-nesters.

Timothy purchased a “home” in Black Canyon City this fall and is in the process of moving in. The property listing disclosed the homes as “gratis” and the home inspection exempted everything in the house – from the walls, plumbing and roof.  But Tim was happy to have 2.5 acres even with a “gratis house”.  Last week he hooked up a furnace and today invested in a hot water heater with hopes of installing it next weekend.  He laughed today and said that he was willing to “rough it” but that heat and hot water were necessities.  His land has beautiful mountain views with BLM land east of his property and state owned land to the south.

Julianna graduated from Richmond in May and took a three year contract with Lehman Brothers in London.    She loves England; I doubt she will ever return to the US to live.  She flies in on Friday for a two week Christmas visit.

Hugh and I spent our “almost empty nest year” doing some traveling.  We were in Holland with my brother Dave and his wife Maud for a family reunion with my father’s side of the family in late April and early May.  Oh my – we had a wonderful time.  We partied for Queen’s Day in Amsterdam and traveled all over Holland enjoying the country and the tulip fields.  The highlight was staying with cousins in the south and meeting other relatives.  Julianna met us in Holland for the reunion and then we all toured Bruge and Brussels before heading to London for the graduation.

Julianna and I flew to southern France after the ceremony and met up with a bike trip in Italy several days later.  We biked over part of Tuscany.  The trip was labeled easy – but biking into the walled towns was anything but.  After the bike trip we toured Florence for several days and then flew to London and on to Phoenix.  After traveling for five weeks it was wonderful to be back in the US.

But the traveling didn’t end.  Hugh and I went to Acadia National Park in August.  Hugh attended an illustrator’s conference and I took photos.   Then in October we went on a photo workshop in Missoula Montana.  We had just a great time – by mid-week we had signed up for another workshop in Vancouver next April.  We both loved the long days of photographing – and learning more about our hobby.  Each workshop forces us to try new techniques expanding our seeing and thinking.

Our careers seem rather set at this point in our lives.  Some small changes occur but for the most part they are stable without many exciting changes.  Hugh became boarded in Urgent Care Medicine this year.  That was the highlight of his professional life.  My office continues to grow.  We added another CPA and expanded the office again this year.  I’m getting more resistant to long hours and long weeks.  I doubt that I’ll take the office much further, I’ll probably top out at about 10 employees in the next two years. The juice I’ve always felt from growing seems to be dying.  Of course, the next new client could change my attitude.  But the appeal of long hours lessens the older I get.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!